Gut-Unfriendly Additives Lurking in Soy and Other Plant-Based Milks

Not every ingredient in a natural food product may be good for you. There is evidence that carrageenan, a gum derived from seaweed and allowed in organic and natural foods as a thickener and stabilizer may be causing a host of gastrointestinal problems.

Layne Lieberman
Award-winning Nutritionist/Author of Beyond The Mediterranean Diet: European Secrets Of The Super-Healthy

Not every ingredient in a natural food product may be good for you. There is evidence that carrageenan, a gum derived from seaweed and allowed in organic and natural foods as a thickener and stabilizer may be causing a host of gastrointestinal problems.

According to Joanne Tobacman, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Illinois School of Medicine at Chicago and a carrageenan researcher, "carrageenan predictably causes inflammation, which can lead to ulcerations and bleeding". Previous research showed a link between carrageenan and stomach cancer in laboratory animals.

Cornucopia Institute, a U.S. organic watchdog group was critical of carrageenan's use in organics and launched a nationwide petition urging the U.S. FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to ban the ingredient from the U.S. food supply. Recently, a number of food companies world wide, voluntarily removed carrageenan from their ingredient labels.

The plant-based beverage industry has been swapping our carrageenan with gellan gum--a water-soluble high molecular weight polysaccharide that is produced through the fermentation of carbohydrates in algae by the bacterium Pseudomonas elodea.

This fermented carbohydrate is purified with isopropyl alcohol, then dried and milled producing a powder. Then it's added to most plant-based beverages like soya and almond milk found in the dairy case and on supermarket shelves.

As a general rule, gums can be problematic for those with digestive issues. If food companies were willing to remove gums and print "shake well" on the labels, stabilizers like carrageenan and gellan gum would not be needed in plant-based beverages and other food products. However, consumers must be knowledgeable and willing to give up convenience and appearance in exchange for products that do not contain gum additives and are generally safer.

Alternatively you can make your own nut milk. Here is a simple recipe for almond milk: